Buildings at two Southampton schools could contain RAAC, the city's MP has revealed.
Moorlands Primary School, on Kesteven Way, and Springhill Catholic Primary School, on Milton Road, are awaiting surveys to find out if any of their buildings could be at risk of collapse.
It comes after more than 100 schools in England were told to close buildings made with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) unless they put safety measures in place.
RAAC was most frequently used between the 1950s and 1990s as it is cheaper than standard concrete and quicker to produce.
MP Royston Smith said: "I have been made aware of two schools in the Southampton Itchen area that may be affected by the concrete issues.
"The schools in question are not confirmed to have RAAC concrete and are awaiting surveys."
READ MORE: Hunt lunched for any RAAC in city's schools
RAAC is much less durable than ordinary concrete and only has a lifespan of around 30 years.
This is due to the fact that RAAC is aerated – meaning it is bubbly and contains pockets of air.
The Echo has contacted both schools for further information.
Springhill Catholic Primary School declined to comment while Moorlands Primary School provided a statement first issued by Southampton City Council on Friday.
The council spokesperson said: “The Council is aware of the issue of RAAC and initially surveyed schools in 2019. This summer, the Department for Education (DfE) has changed their guidance to expand the areas to be surveyed for RAAC.
“As a result, the DfE has contacted all local authorities to undertake inspections of their school buildings. The council are working closely with them to identify and isolate any RAAC in the school buildings.
“We will continue to work with the DfE to minimise the impact on learning and if there are any schools identified with RAAC, we will put mitigations in place to deal with this. Until such time all inspections have been completed, we are unable to provide further information.
“The safety of the children and staff is our priority, which is why we continue to work proactively to monitor all buildings closely and to identify any RAAC in the buildings.”
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